EA has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately, and this time it surrounds Need For Speed Payback’s progression and microtransactions. Due to player feedback, EA and Ghost Games seek to change the “progression system” in the racing game that’s now available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

You can have a powerful proprietary engine like Frostbite and screw up the games running on it with incompetence. Most interestingly, some of this incompetence can be traced to the literal “slot machines” featured in Need For Speed Payback that can grant all kinds of stuff including rewards.

This “progression system” in Need For Speed Payback has changed, but before detailing all of the changes you can watch a video explaining the old system thanks to DriveMag Gaming.

Here is a list of changes to the “progression system” via F8RGE over on the game’s official Reddit page:

• Increased the amount of REP awarded by taking part in events.
• Increased the amount of Bank awarded by taking part in events.
• Bait crates now reward increased REP.
• Bait crates now reward increased Bank.
• Competing against a Roaming Racer will reward you with increased REP.
• Competing against a Roaming Racer will reward you with increased Bank.
• Air Suspension will now appear more frequently within Shipments.
• Slightly increased REP and Bank for finishing an event outside of first place.

Now that you’ve seen the changes altering Bait crates, here’s what F8RGE had to say about the whole situation:

“We’ve been using Community feedback, along with our own in-game data and have come up with a number of changes, many of which are in the process of going live. Our aim with these changes is to make the progression, especially around the ownership of cars a much more enjoyable experience.

 

“Today’s changes are just phase one and we have further tweaks coming,” the statement concludes. “Coming shortly will be some changes to the way tune-up shops work, especially around the quality / level of parts they stock.”

So let’s get this straight, the progression system in Battlefield 1, the progression system in Star Wars Battlefront 2, and now the progression system in Need For Speed Payback all need post-release revision? You mean to tell me that three full priced games need to follow free-to-play development models? What ever happened to finished products at launch?

Seeing how EA feels that not adding microtransaction in Battlefield 4 is a missed opportunity [via GameSpot] to make more money, I can only imagine what Battlefield 2018 and future EA games are withholding to bestow on gamers.